


Zig-Zag

by Miss_Understood



Category: Lore Olympus (Webcomic)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Autism, Autism Spectrum, Chance Meetings, F/M, Human AU, I only know how to write kids with autism, Will add more tags if time goes on, asd, single parent
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-10
Updated: 2020-07-17
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:21:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25192318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miss_Understood/pseuds/Miss_Understood
Summary: Five years after a steamy one-night stand, Hades bumps into Kore at a toy store.
Relationships: Hades & Hera (Lore Olympus), Hades & Zagreus (Lore Olympus), Hades&Persephone (Lore Olympus), Hades/Persephone (Lore Olympus), Persephone & Zagreus (Lore Olympus)
Comments: 59
Kudos: 145





	1. Blindsided

Hades was at the toy store shopping for something to get his niece Hebe for her birthday. The problem was, he did not understand what a thirteen-year-old girl could want. It was so much easier when she was eight. Dolls had always been a big hit, but she’s a young woman now.  
  
_Fuck, is she too old to buy something from a toy store? Maybe a book instead? A gift card to one of those tween clothing stores? Ugh. I’m out of my depth on this one._  
  
He pulled out his phone, texting Hera to ask for suggestions. As soon as he pressed send, he was blindsided by a pint-sized boy. On instinct, he stepped to the side to allow whatever parent who followed a clear path. This was a mistake because he was instantly struck again as a body crashed into him.  
  
“Shit, sorry,” Hades said, turning around and reaching his hand to help the woman to her feet. “I was trying to move out of the way.”  
  
“It’s ok,” she looked up at him once she was on her feet. Her mouth made a perfect O and noticeably paling. “Shit – Zag!” She took off running in the direction the child had taken, leaving Hades reeling from the encounter. He followed behind her without a moment’s thought. He had imagined bumping into her a thousand times since he met her all those years ago. Ironically, he never considered that he would literally bump into her – or her into him. There was no way he would let her get away without an apology this time.  
  
Hades found Kore two aisles away, pulling the boy off the shelving he had been using as a ladder. He was screeching, reaching out for something on the shelf. Hades felt like a creep for openly lurking at the unfolding scene before him.  
  
“Zagreus, No! We do not run away!” She said firmly, turning the boy by his shoulders to face her while kneeling down to be at his level. He was still screaming, and balled his hands into fists, vibrating with emotion. Hades saw the boy's face, and something in his brain backfired. [ _Click_ ]  
  
“C’mon buddy, mommy can’t deal with this right now,” Kore softly, bowing her head. [ _Click_ ] She turned to face Hades, anger plain on her face. “What are you gawking at? Have you never seen a kid with autism before?”  
  
“S-s-sorry. I-I’m – its’ not the behavior,” Hades’ brain was short-circuiting. He couldn’t string two words together. He couldn’t look away from the boy’s face. Memories of a steamy hookup flashed before his eyes.  
  
The boy was still screaming, Kore stood and picked him up. He was half her size and kicking furiously, pounding his fists against her chest as she walked away. It wasn’t a choice to follow; it was compulsive. Hell itself couldn’t stop him from pursuing them out the doors of the toy store and through the parking lot to her pink SUV. Kore wrestled the boy into his car seat and shut the door. She straightened her clothes and pushed her hair from her eyes before glaring at him. “What the actual fuck is your problem?”  
  
“Y-you have a s-s-son now?” He stammered.  
  
“You have a stutter now?” she retorted. That hurt, Hades had spent years in speech therapy to rid himself of the stammer. It still came out in moments of stress or heightened emotions. People usually were polite enough to ignore that character flaw. The truth must have shown on his face because she apologized. “I’m sorry, that was incredibly uncalled for. Look, I don’t want to have this conversation in the middle of a hot parking lot. Here’s my card, call me if you want to talk. Or don’t, no pressure.”  
  
Hades stood in the parking lot, holding the pink business card in his hand. His mind blank, his skin hot under the Olympus summer sun, as he watched her SUV disappear in the distance.  
  
[ _Ping_ ]  
  
**Hera:** You’re an idiot. Get her a gift card to Sephora. It’s a makeup store at the mall.  
  
Still, in shock, his fingers responded with the only thing he could think.  
  
**Hades:** I think I have a son.  
  
**Hera:** Really? Congratulation??  
**Hera:** with who?  
**Hera:** You’re kind of a whore.  
  
Hades looked at the business card. He had never known Kore’s last name.  
  
**Hades:** Kore Fields.  
  
[ _Ping_ ] [ _Ping_ ] [ _Ping_ ] [ _Ping_ ] [ _Ping_ ]  
  
Hades didn’t read any of the following messages. Instead, he drove home without realizing how he got there. His mind was lost in possibilities.


	2. I'm not going anywhere

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hades contacts Kore and they have an important conversation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was not beta-read because I am impatient and have had entirely too much caffeine. My punctuation sucks, it happens.

Hades spent hours trying to think of what to say when he called Kore. He nearly called her half a dozen times but would chicken out at the last moment. His head was spinning, he was spiraling. _I have a child. I have a son. Probably. He looks like me. Why didn’t she say anything? I would have helped. Is she married? I didn’t see a ring. You weren’t looking for a ring. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck._  
  
Hades did what anyone would do in his situation. He texted his mother and asked her to send him a picture of him around five. Rhea was annoyed but complied (only because she was painting in her parlor, and there was a large portrait on the wall). Hades had expected that, and the existence of that portrait is what made his brain short-circuit earlier and act like a damned fish out of water. Gaping at her like fucking creep.  
  
Hades received the picture from his mother, and his brain turned to mush again. When he regained the ability to think, he checked his watch and pulled out Kore’s business card.  
  
**Hades:** Can I take you to dinner?  
  
Hades watched as three dots appeared on his screen, indicating she was typing. The dots stopped and started several times. Minutes passed, and Hades set his phone down and walked away from it. Angry, hurt, and disgusted in himself.  
  
[ _ping_ ]  
  
**Kore:** Tonight?  
  
**Hades:** Is that too soon?  
  
**Kore:** I just moved back to Olympus. I don’t have a sitter I trust yet.  
  
**Hades:** He is included in the invitation.  
  
**Kore:** Zagreus doesn’t do well in restaurants.  
  
Hades was trying to come up with a response. Something. Anything.  
  
**Kore:** I’m free at 10:30 tomorrow morning if we meet on the eastside of Olympus.  
**Kore:** I don’t mean to be coming off as a bitch. I’m juggling a lot of things right now.  
  
**Hades:** I can do that. Will Zagreus be joining us?  
  
There was a long pause where he watched the dots appear and stop, he waited with bated breath, unsure of what answer he wanted more. All options excited and scared him, he was going to have to make an appointment to see his therapist.  
  
**Kore:** No.  
  
_You spent two minutes on one word?_  
  
**Kore:** I am not familiar with that part of Olympus. I’ll be coming from the corner of Athens and Laurel.  
  
**Hades:** There is a Sirens Café on the SW corner.  
  
**Kore:** Perfect.  
  
**Hades:** Will you send me a picture of him?  
**Hades:** Please  
  
**Kore:** Good night. See you tomorrow.  
  
Hades put his phone down, leaning back on the couch with a groan. _You’re fucking things up already. Stop fucking this up! You will act like a sane human who has their shit together! You will get your shit together! Stop being a creep!_  
  
[ _ping_ ]

***** *****

Kore dropped Zag off at his appointment at ten. Feeling nervous, she made her way across the street to the coffee shop. She was early, but that would give her a chance to calm her feeling of apprehension. It wasn’t just the meeting with Hades that had her on edge. She hated leaving Zag with strangers, even highly trained professionals. Besides her mother, the only other person she had ever felt comfortable leaving him with was his first teacher at his old school. Now he was being evaluated for a new school, and the arduous process of filling out questionnaires began again, along with numerous assessments to gauge his specific needs. Today’s appointment was a two-hour-long marathon session including a social worker, a speech pathologist, a psychologist, and an occupational therapist.  
  
She had just sat down and deposited her bag in the seat next to her when Hades arrived. He was fifteen minutes early, which made her stomach burble with hope. Maybe he’s serious. Perhaps he will be part of Zag's life. _Maybe… just don’t get your expectations up._ The truth was her hopes were already high. When he had asked for a picture of Zag the night before, her heart swelled, and her resolve shattered. She was vulnerable, if he bailed, she would be devastated. The only thing she could do was protect her son from disappointment. That she could do.  
  
“You’re early,” Kore said, standing up to greet him.  
  
“I thought it’d be a dick move to be late,” Hades said and moved to hug her, but stopped awkwardly and held out his hand instead. She wondered if it was her hand that was sweaty or his. Either way, it was a clammy and uncomfortable handshake. “Have you ordered yet?”  
  
Once they had their coffee, they settled down at the table. Kore began, "I don't know exactly how long I will be able to stay. Zag is being tested right now, and if he becomes non-compliant, I will need to leave."  
  
"Of course, I-I'm j-just grateful f-for a chance to talk to you," he stammered, and Kore could see the frustration on his face. She reached across the table, putting her hand on his.  
  
“I was a bitch yesterday, I’m sorry,” she said, and pulled her hand away, returning it to her own coffee cup. “We are both nervous, let’s agree to be kind to each other.”  
  
“You don’t look nervous,” Hades said.  
  
"It's an acquired skill, I assure you. Zag can pick up on nervous behavior like a bloodhound. If I’m on edge, he’s on edge,” she said with a shrug.  
  
“You’ve got a good poker face then,” he smiled.  
  
"Something like that," She agreed, pulling out a photo album from her bag and handing it to him. "Let me start with saying yes, Zag is your son. There was one other possibility, an ex, but I asked his sister to take a DNA test. I would like you to arrange for your own paternity test. I’m sure, but you have no reason to take my word on it, nor should you.”  
  
Hades was flipping through the album, “he looks like me, I knew it the moment I saw him yesterday.”  
  
“Still, I’d feel better if you took the test. I don’t need any drama in my life, we both know that your family is –”  
  
"Right," Hades said, drawing out the word.  
  
“And I’m not going to come after you for money. I do fine on my own. I have a successful business, and I live comfortably within my means. I am willing to sign something if that makes you feel better. I don’t want to be accused of being an opportunist. I didn’t even know your last name when we – that night. Honestly, if I knew who you were, I would have never gone on that date.”  
  
“I’m not my family,” Hade said, looking hurt.  
  
“I respect that, but I was working with your ex sister-in-law. I don't mix business with pleasure. It’s hard enough running your own business without adding romance or sex into the mix. I take my career very seriously.”  
  
“I do too,” he asserted.  
  
“I know,” she said relieved to segue out of awkward territory. “You’ve done very well for yourself. I hear The Pomegranate is very successful. Best fine dining restaurant in Olympus three years running, and you’re on track to earn a Michelin Star. That’s very impressive.”  
  
Hades beamed with pride. “Honestly, I hope I don’t get a star. That was never a goal. I enjoy what I do, and I've heard from other chefs say that they lost their love of cooking from the pressure stars bring. Running a restaurant and a farm is hard enough, and now I find out I have a kid. It's not worth it."  
  
So much for staying out of awkward conversations. “You don’t have to be a part of his life. I don’t want you giving up on dreams because –”  
  
“Don’t misunderstand me. I'm trying to tell you that if I have to choose between some arbitrary bragging rights or getting to know my son, I’m going to choose him. If you’ll let me,” Hades said, cutting Kore off from her prepared speech intended to give him an easy exit. She nodded, unable to speak past the lump in her throat. She covered her emotions by taking a drink of her coffee and looking out the window until she was more composed. Hades was quietly flipping through the photo album again.  
  
"I have some stipulations," she said once she was able to compose herself. Hades looked up at her, ready to listen. "Zag is a handful, and he's not a typical child. He doesn’t know what a father is, and he can’t miss something he’s never known. I need to know you’re not going to bail before we tell him who you are. If you want to be part of his life, I’m not going to stop you. You have one shot, you fail him, it’s over. He’s a challenge, he is a handful, he has autism, and that comes with a plethora of complications. Not everyone can handle that.”  
  
"I can respect that, but in full disclosure, I’ve talked to Hera already, and I had to tell my business partner why I bailed on the staff meeting today.”  
  
"I talked to Hera too. Or more accurately, Hera talked at me," she said, and they both laughed. Hera had a way of steamrolling everyone she spoke to. There was minimal opportunity to get a word in edgewise when she was making her thoughts clear. "You can tell anyone you want. I'm not asking to be a secret, I would prefer we weren’t. I just don’t want Zag to have a temporary father. I don’t want to see him get his heart broken.” _I don’t want my heart broken._ “Show us you’re serious, and that can change.”  
  
“I’m not going anywhere,” he said, but he had said that before.  
  


> Kore remembered waking up in his arms after spending the night at his place. They met on a dating app, talked for a few days on the phone, and he invited her dinner. They spent hours talking, which surprised Kore because she had only gone there for rebound sex. She hadn’t intended to actually discover she liked the guy. Talking led to amazing sex, and the best night's sleep she had in ages. In the morning, he made her breakfast, an omelet with eggs so fresh they were still warm from the nest. When she left, she asked if she could call him again, and he had said, _I’m not going anywhere._ She thought she was in love, but she had been young and naïve.  
>    
>  Three days later, Hara had invited her to a family brunch to celebrate a successful event they had both worked hard on. Hera had planned it and Kore did the flowers and decorations. She had been surprised and flustered to see Hades there. They flirted and made plans to hang out together after brunch. And then she showed up, and Kore realized that she had been duped. He had a beautiful, skinny model girlfriend. She had been a side piece, and it wouldn’t have stung so bad if she had not already been so besotted with him.

“I’ve heard that before,” she replied, donning her stoic facade. She took her heart and built a wall around it. Hades was handsome, sweet, intelligent, and hardworking, but he wasn’t going to woo her with softly spoken words again. She had no reason to trust him with her heart, but Hera had convinced her to let him try to be a part of Zag's life.

“About that… I tried to tell you it wasn’t what it looked like. Minthe and I had –" he began, but she put her hand up, stopping him.

“I’m not asking for explanations or apologizes. This isn’t about what happened between us, except that it resulted in a child— _my child_ , who is the most important thing in my life. I will do anything for him, including allowing him to know his father. What happened between us is ancient history, and it won't happen again."

“Tell me about Zag,” he said, looking down at the album again.

Kore was relieved to change the subject. She pulled out the binder that held all of Zag's diagnoses, IEPs, and progress reports and began telling him about Zag's autism. Hades cut her off after a couple minutes. "I want to hear about this eventually, but now I want to know him. Not the autism, not the issues, him. What does he like? What does he hate? What was his first word? Tell me what was happening during these pictures."

_Damn you for taking a crack at that wall already. Fucking charmer. Stupid farm girl, get your shit together._

"His first word was his first sentence actually," she smiled, remembering how happy she had felt in that moment and flipped through the album to find a picture from that morning. They were in the high school pool in her hometown, waving at the camera. "Zag loves to swim, and so every year we do swimming lessons at the local school. This was from last year, so he was three and a half. We were in the pool, and I pretended we were swimming through outer space because he loves all things space-related. And when I got to Saturn, he said, _Saturn can swim too_.” Hades looked confused, so she explained. “He watches a lot of youtube videos about the planets. One of the things that everyone mentions about Saturn is that it is less dense than water, so it would float. It was special because not only was it his first word and sentence, but it was also his own sentence. A lot of children who have speech delays tend towards echolalia in the beginning."

“Eris has echolalia,” Hades said, beginning to understand. Kore nodded, she knew that his niece also had autism. “Is autism hereditary? Is it because of me?”

Kore could hear the guilt in his question and shrugged. “They still don’t have enough research to say anything definitive. There does seem to be a trend that suggests that it could be, but the science is still new. Besides, Zag is incredible, autism and all. I wouldn’t change a thing about who he is. I wish that life was easier for him, I don't like to see him get overwhelmed with the world. But there are these magical moments. Like when he’s listening to music and hears a song he really likes, he'll start drawing in the air with his finger. Like he's conducting an orchestra, and there is this light in his eyes. You can see how much joy something as simple as a song can bring him. It's beautiful and perfect, and so is he."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Zag has autism because I don’t actually know how to write a neurotypical child. Therefore, Zag has quirks that are similar to my son’s. There is a saying: “If you know one person with autism, then you know one person with autism.” I’m simply writing Zag in a way that I understand. 
> 
> Leave me your comments, kudos, and feedback.


	3. Pizza and Planets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hades joins Kore and Zag for dinner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I struggled with this chapter, I hope it doesn’t disappoint.

Kore was unpacking another box that was stacked against the dining room wall. She had been in Olympus for almost a week now, and there was still more unpacking. It was hard to find time to get it done between Zag's appointments and attempting to work in the flower shop. Zag wouldn't start school for at least a month, and she had no childcare until then. She had tried to work with Zag in the store, distracted with his tablet or with art supplies. That was a disaster, both attempts ended with a full-blown meltdown, tears from them both, and Persephone closing the store. You can’t run a business if it isn’t open, and she desperately needed to hire another clerk. Tonight, was the first free block of time she had since moving, and she planned to use it unpacking.

[ _ping_ ]

Kore immediately switched gears, focusing on cleaning the apartment as quickly as she could. She had forgotten entirely about inviting Hades over to dinner. After a brief text conversation, it was decided that he would pick up something to eat.

Hades arrived looking dapper in dark denim and a white button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up and the top two buttons open. She was wearing a well worn, slightly too large Olympus University hoodie because she didn’t feel like putting on a bra. This instantly proved to be a mistake because she was suddenly feeling very flushed.

"I got the pizza and I—I also brought wine, I d-don't know if you drink, or if you want to drink, I don't need to drink, but I thought that maybe we'd need a drink. Not that I need a drink. Unless you need a drink. Not saying that you drink a lot." He stammered, unable to shut his mouth.

“Wine will be nice. Unpacking should always be rewarded with wine,” she smiled, stifling a laugh and taking the bottle. _Drinking could be an unbelievably bad idea_. She set the wine down on the counter, and he placed the pizza down, that's when she saw that he was carrying more.  
“I didn’t realize the absurdity of bringing flowers to a florist until just now,” He looked nervous but happy as he handed her the bouquet. “I also got Zag a Pluto planet stuffed animal. I went back to the store after you left, and it looked like that's what he was after. I don't know if you’re comfortable with me getting him something. I didn’t wrap it or anything, I know my nieces and nephews at that age could zero in on presents and – well it’s your choice if he can have it. I really don’t want to overstep. I don’t know what I’m doing. I don’t know why I’m not shutting up. Please tell me if I’m out of line. Please tell me to shut up.”

"Let's wait until after dinner, and Zag's had his bath before you give him his gift. I won’t be able to get him to do either if he gets it before,” she smiled reassuringly. “The flowers are lovely, and I never get flowers as a gift because I am a florist. The truth is, I don’t think anyone has ever got me flowers.” _You should not be flirting._

“Not even for prom? You must have gone,” he said, leaning against the counter.

“I had already started my greenhouse business in high school, so I made my own corsage,” Kore admitted. Her life was full of flowers, and yet she had never received them. “Thank you.”

Zag came running down the hall, shouting, "Pizza! Pizza! Pizza!"

“Zag, will you show me how we behave when we meet new people? Zag, say hello to our new friend, Hades.”

"Hello," he said in a sing-song voice and ran over to Hades, holding his fist out.

“He wants a fist bump,” Kore said.

Hades knelt and held out his fist, and Zag tapped his fist to Hades’ and spread his hand wide, shouting "boom!" Hades laughed and fell backward playfully to shrieks of laughter from both Kore and Zag.

* * *

Hades picked himself off the floor, feeling happy to have made them laugh. Kore took Zag to the kitchen sink to wash their hands. Counting, singing a song and playing a game to see who could make the most foam. Hades watched, mesmerized. His heart ached, he had never really thought of having a family until a few days ago. Now, he wanted it all. 

They sat down to the table, eating their pizza and talking. Zag dominated the conversation with talk about planets and listing off facts at a dizzying pace. Hades had a tough time understanding half of what he said, following one in twenty words. Kore translated parts of the conversation. Hades wondered if she realized what she was doing. He thought he had heard Zag break out in song multiple times but wasn’t sure because almost everything he said sounded like a song. Hades was memorized and already hopelessly in love. 

After pizza, Zag ran to the TV and started asking for Trolls. “He usually watches a movie after dinner and gets really upset if I change the routine without notice. You’re welcome to stay – to watch the movie – or if you want to talk – I'm sure there is more to talk about,” she said and took a deep breath. “Unless we've already freaked you out, and you want nothing to do with us. And that's fine if you did. Don't stay because you feel you need to. You can stay, or go, no pressure."

Kore looked flustered as she went to turn on the movie for Zag. Hades wasn't sure what to think, he was enjoying himself, and then things got weird again. At least this time, it wasn't him making things weird. "I've never seen Trolls, my brother said it's a good movie."

“Zeus likes Trolls?”

“I doubt it, Zeus rarely sees his girls. My other brother Poseidon has eight kids, and he said he's watched it about a hundred times.” Zag started to squeal and stomp his feet as soon as the movie started.

“ _Eight?_ I’m stressed just thinking about that,” she said, handing him the remote. “I have seen Trolls more than a hundred times, so I’ll be in the dining room unpacking if you get bored of the movie.”

Hades was not too proud to admit that it was a good movie and it was apparent that Zag loved it. Half the movie was spent dancing or jumping around, copying what the characters were doing. He squealed, shrieked, giggled, and belly chuckled—which resulted in Hades laughing, and he thought he had heard Kore giggling from the kitchen where she was still busy unpacking. It was not hard for Hades to understand what Kore had meant the other day over coffee. Zag experienced life in a way Hades had never seen before, even from other young children. He seemed completely unhindered, a pure soul living in the moment.

Hades was in love.

Zag danced to the credits and began to strip his clothes off as soon as the song ended. Kore intercepted him before he managed to completely undress and hurried him off towards the bathroom, saying she would be right back. She returned a few minutes later and grabbed a timer off the refrigerator, and pressed buttons before clipping it to her waistband. "He gets 15 minutes to play before I need to go back and wash his hair."

“He seems like a great kid,” Hades said, lamely. “Smart too, you’ve done a fantastic job.”

“Thanks,” she said, rummaging through a box until she unearthed a corkscrew, handing it to Hades. "I'm sorry this is really awkward."

“Yeah,” Hades agreed as he began to open the wine.

“Yeah.”

“Can I ask you something?”

“That’s why I invited you over. I’m not in the habit of inviting strangers to my apartment,” she turned away, digging through another box.

“I’m not exactly a stranger.”

“You’re not, not a stranger.”

“Why did you never tell me?”

“Going straight to the hard questions I see," she said, unwrapping two wine glasses from the box and began to wash them. "I intended to give him up for adoption. I was 22, single, and just starting my own business. The last thing I wanted was a kid, and when I changed my mind, I didn’t know you were his father. The odds were low, we used protection, and I was on the pill. I assumed he was my ex's. And when I realized he wasn't, Zag had just been diagnosed, and it would have been weird. I just call you unexpectedly and say, _hey, I don’t know if you remember me, but you’ve got a kid. Thought you should know.”_

Hades wasn’t sure how to react to any of what she said. I would have helped, crossed his mind. As well as questions regarding the ex, which he was pretty sure were rooted in jealousy. That left an obviously personal question, but he asked it anyway as he handed a glass of wine to her. "Why did you change your mind about adoption? You don't have to answer, but I'm curious." 

"The couple I had chosen found out they were expecting their own child when I was seven months along. They backed out, so I was left to find a new couple. I didn’t get a chance to meet them face-to-face until right before I went into labor, and I didn’t like them. The woman was nice, but her husband was an asshole. Then I met Zagreus, and it wasn’t a question anymore.”

“I thought we had a connection. I don’t really understand why you ghosted me. You never gave me a chance to explain,” he said, hoping he sounded more curious than hurt. “She wasn’t my girlfriend. I tried to tell you that.”

“I’ve been the girlfriend of the guy claiming he didn’t have one.”

“I know it looked bad, but she wasn’t. We had broken up. I’m not that kind of guy.”

“I don’t know what kind of guy you are, but it looked like you had a girlfriend. I wasn’t interested in hearing your _explanations_ , I was interested in forgetting about you.”

Hades didn’t know how to tell her that there was no way he could have forgotten about her. They had met on a dating app and he was instantly astounded with her. She was cheerful, ambitious, and loved to garden. She called herself an _ethical vegetarian_. When he asked her what that meant, she had said, "I will eat meat and eggs if they were raised ethically with compassion." She grew up on a farm where they raised livestock and grew their own food. When she went off to college, she found that meat tasted wrong, and she had decided it was because the animals had sad lives. That's when Hades was convinced that she was the woman he was going to marry, inviting her to his house for dinner.

Everything was perfect until Minthe showed up to brunch a few days later. Minthe had been his on-again-off-again girlfriend for three years. She was beautiful on the outside and ugly on the inside. They broke up before she went to Paris for Fashion Week. She had decided to make it a month-long trip, charging her outrageously expensive room to his business credit card. Hades packed the few things she had left at his house and donated them to a local women’s shelter and filed charges against her. When she arrived back in Olympus, she discovered she was in deep shit and came to his restaurant in hopes of smoothing things over. The only thing she managed to do was make a spectacle of herself, embarrass him, and drive Kore away.

He had tried to call Kore, but she had blocked him. She was no longer on the dating app, and he hadn’t been able to find her on social media. He even went to her store in attempts to talk to her without luck. He had considered going to Hera, and asking her to explain to Kore what happened, but Hera and Zeus announced they were getting a divorce.

Now Kore was back in his life and brought with her a child. He wanted to be angry with her for not telling him. For stealing years of his son's life from him, but he could see that she was just trying to do what she thought was best for Zag. He couldn't find fault in that, but wished he could turn back time and start over.

* * *

She helped Zag finish his bath, and he protested at putting on pajamas, always did, and was a naked child. She wasn’t sure if Hades was still here. She hadn’t heard the door open, but there were a few loud moments from Zag, and she hadn't exactly been listening. Part of her wished that he would be gone and that things would remain as they always had. But she would be lying if she said that a part of her didn't wish that he would still be there, waiting patiently to learn about his son.

"Hey, little man, how was the bath?" Hades asked as they emerged from the bathroom. He was sitting on the sofa, the gift on the floor next to him. Zag ignored him.

“Zag, why don’t you ask Hades what his favorite planet is?” Kore suggested, attempting to facilitate what passed for a conversation with him.

“Do you have a favorite planet?” Zag sang, going closer to the couch.

“Pluto,” Hades said with a smile and winked at Kore.

“Pluto is a dwarf planet. The IAU tooked away his status in two-fousand-and-sis.”

“Really? I didn’t know that. Why’d they do that?” Hades asked, but Zag was distracted by Hades' watch, and instead of answering started tugging on it. “Sounds like Pluto got the short stick, huh? What’s your favorite planet?”

“Saturn, it’s lots of budiful wing made of ice! Did you know dat if Saturn took a bath it wood fwoat?”

“It would? Where would we find a bathtub that big?”

“Space?” Zag suggested, with blatant exasperation and Hades laughed, a huge grin on his face. The two guys smiled at each other, dimples highlighting their likeness. Kore’s heart fluttered in her chest. _You are not allowed to fall for your child's father, no matter how charming he is._

“Your mommy said that you like celestial buddies. What are those?" Hades asked, and Zag ran away to his room, flapping his arms like he was a bird. “Did I do something wrong?”

“No, you’re doing great. He’s getting his buddies,” Kore reassured him.

“Should I help?”

“No, this is part of his bedtime routine. He’ll spend a few minutes pulling out all of the stuffed animals he wants to snuggle with and his blanket. He gets 20 minutes on the tablet, followed by a book on the couch, and then a book in bed if he isn’t already asleep.”

After a few exciting trips, Zagreus had all of his celestial buddies lined up on the floor. Hades had casually set the new Pluto stuffed planet on the couch, its companion moon attached to its side by a magnet. It took Zag almost fifteen minutes of holding each plushie up to Hades and listing facts about each before he saw his newest planet. Resulting in an ecstatic Zagreus rolling around on the floor until he fell asleep without his stories.

“When can I see him again?” Hades asked, pausing in the act of leaving after carrying Zag to his room.

"Our schedule is kind of complicated right now, but I made an Oracle Calendar – what's your email?" Kore pulled out her phone, and soon Hades' phone pinged. "Let me know what works for you."

“Great, I will! I really want to thank you for giving me a chance. I’d like to spend as much time as possible with you—I mean him—both of you. I want to try. I don't know what to do or where to start.” He paused, running his fingers through his hair. “I always assumed love at first sight was just some sappy bullshit romantics believe in. I was wrong because I love him and I don't understand that. I want to make him happy – I want to make you happy.”

Kore could see that he was about to kiss her. Goosebumps rippled across her flesh in the moments before he brushed the hair out of her eyes and cupped her cheek in his hand. She knew that standing on her toes to meet his lips was a bad idea. The whimper that escaped her when they kissed was absolutely sending the wrong message. She was a fool. _You should not be kissing him!_ But she did not stop. She wanted to find out if the memory of their night lived up to reality. Then she remembered how hurt she had been, how foolish she had felt because of him. Her heart had been broken; she had been crushed to find out that he had a girlfriend. He said it was a misunderstanding, but that lie came easily to some men. She wouldn't risk her heart again. Taking a step backward, she pushed herself away, refusing to look him in the eyes. 

“That can’t happen again. I think it’s time you leave.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love your kudos, comments, and feedback!
> 
> What are your experiences with autism? Every story is different, Zag is close to my experiences with my youngest son.

**Author's Note:**

> Zag has autism because I don’t actually know how to write a neurotypical child. Therefore, Zag has quirks that are similar to my son’s. There is a saying: “If you know one person with autism, then you know one person with autism.” I’m simply writing Zag in a way that I understand.
> 
> I use the word “whore”, this is not a form of sex shaming or a reference to sex workers. Hera is vulgar and she does not mean it in a derogatory way, nor does Hades take it that way.
> 
> If you want more, please let me know below!


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